Last week, social media was sent into a frenzy after viral claims suggested the notorious Annabelle doll had gone missing during a paranormal tour in the United States. The reports gained traction following two unsettling events in New Orleans — a prison break and a fire — both of which occurred during the doll’s visit to the city.
However, Tony Spera, the current custodian of the doll and son-in-law of famed paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, has confirmed that Annabelle was never out of control and is now safely back at the Warren Occult Museum in Monroe, Connecticut.
“The doll was taken on a brief tour to several locations to show the doll to enthusiasts of the paranormal. The doll was never out of our control. We take extreme precautions when handling or transporting the doll,” Spera told the New York Post.
The real Annabelle doll housed at the Warren Occult Museum in Monroe, Connecticut
Scepticism, Superstition and Security: The Truth Behind the Tour
The eerie timing of Annabelle’s presence in New Orleans with the May 15 fire at the historic Nottoway Plantation House and the May 16 inmate escape from the Orleans Justice Centre only fuelled online conspiracy theories. Though the majority of the escaped inmates have been recaptured, many linked the incidents to the doll’s reputed dark influence.
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While social media users debated whether the situation was real or just internet lore, others were genuinely concerned. “I did not think people were taking it seriously because I kept seeing jokes about it on Instagram and TikTok. But, I didn’t realise people were out here like, actually thinking that this was legit,” said Tim Nealon, founder of Ghost City Tours, speaking to USA Today.
To dispel fears, Spera reassured the public that Catholic rituals were followed throughout the tour. “The doll is blessed by a Catholic priest before moving it, while on tour and after it is returned to the museum. On the tour, a Catholic priest, Father Bob, travelled with us the entire trip,” he said.
The Annabelle doll, which gained pop culture notoriety through The Conjuring universe, is believed by some to possess malevolent energy. For that reason, it is kept in a specially treated case — an enclosure lined with crosses and protected using holy water and oil — at the Warren Occult Museum. The museum, however, remains closed to the public.
Despite the rumours and conspiracy theories, Spera made it clear: “Annabelle never left our watch.”
